Heading into the offseason, one of the biggest areas of interest for the Seattle Seahawks will be the futures of defensive end Cliff Avril and safety Kam Chancellor, whose careers are both in doubt due to season-ending neck injuries. In an interview on NFL Network Steve Wyche's “The Aftermath” on Monday, Avril opened up about his recent neck surgery and whether he will ever play football again.
“I believe so,” Avril said. “Right now, it's all about recovery. I had surgery. I'm in the process of recovering. It's a long process, a long journey. When I get to the end of that, then I'll figure out what's next.”
Seahawks DE Cliff Avril, who had neck surgery and missed most of last season told me he plans to try and play again. @nflnetwork
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) January 15, 2018
In a radio interview a few weeks ago, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll stated that he believed it would be difficult for Avril and Chancellor to come back next season. Despite the odds stacked against him, the 31-year-old Avril said that he wants to beat the odds and make it back to the NFL.
“I mean, it's something I love to do. It's what I've been doing forever and, just as a competitor, I want to show that I can come back if it's possible, you know?” Avril said. “You do see all the injuries. You see the game from a different perspective when you're on the sideline. And those thoughts do definitely pop into my head of ‘should I come back or not?' But again, right now it's all about recovery.”
Avril, who suffered his season-ending neck injury back in October against the Indianapolis Colts, recorded two tackles and one sack in four games after he racked up 11.5 sacks during the 2016 season.
